ERISA HYSI: Our Dream is to Make MADE IN ALBANIA an International Tech Tag

By Rudina Hoxha

“Our goal is to reach our target clients and introduce them to great potentials they can reach locally and internationally by opening up new ideas and reaching their clients in many languages.”

Born in Albania but moved to America with her family some 12 years ago, Erisa Hysi, Co-Founder of Albania Language Service, reveals for TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE the great opportunity she has launched together with her spouse, Ani Xhani, since 2018 for everybody who wants to provide remote language services. Later they decided to open another branch, Global Communication Services which focuses on creating and promoting new technologies in the field of language services.

Regarding Albania, she says that her native country is the focus. “We see a great potential and humongous need for professional assistance in language service, professional programs to help current business expand globally, technology advancement to facilitate several operations in different industries”

They aim at introducing the services to different industries in Albania such as tourism and hospitality, transportation, education, governmental, etc.

Full interview below:

1. Erisa, please can you introduce yourself and your company - Albania Language Service?

Greetings! My name is Erisa Hysi, born and raised in Berat, Albania. Some 12 years ago, my family moved to the US to pursue the American dream and provide a better future for my sister and I.

In the U.S., I pursued University for Premedical Education and during my years at school, I was working as an interpreter for English-Albanian, and English-Spanish in hospitals, courts, governmental agencies etc. It was my first experience as an interpreter and not only I enjoyed helping others in difficult situations but also, I saw the opportunity to continue and learn more in the language industry.

In 2018, while on a trip to Albania, with the help of my co-founder/husband Ani Xhani, we opened Albania Language Service and created a group of bilingual people that will be willing to undergo certified training with US companies and work as a remote interpreter outsourcing work from some of the biggest Language Service Providers.

Thus, Albania Language Service was born first as an LSP vendor for major companies with offices in Tirana. We, then branched to more of technological company promoting new technologies in the language industry that will help our clients/ end-users communicate with linguists in a better and shorter time and most important in a very efficient way.

We partnered with major US companies to provide full training and certifications for interpreters and translators located offshore.

2. Why did you choose this field? How does your experience crisscross with it?

Later in my education I pursued law and business management, and as a class assignment I had to analyze the example of technology disruption in an industry and how it will affect businesses in the future.

During that research, I realized that two things that make a business different and prosperous is its originality and its approach to advancement. Thus, we decided to open another branch which is Global Communication Services which focuses on creating and promoting new technologies in the field of language services but not only. Thus, my experience as a medical student, as an MBA and law student intertwined the idea that whole fields that we operate need technology advancement and facilitation to make it easier and more accessible for people around the world. Even though it looks like we are divided by borders and confined by customs, we are global citizens and the interchange is so powerful that you realize that the world is just a small grip.

3. In what way, your company is related to other areas and which ones in particular?

We promote technology that creates an opportunity to have a linguist and take care of language needs, in a press of a button, that creates a job opportunity for qualified linguists that live everywhere in the world to work and earn income by providing remote language services.

What distinguishes us is not only the technology advancements we have incorporated for our clients that in a press of a button can have not only an interpreter, but can have a linguist for translation, transcription, all in one device but also our training and certification program that allows bilingual individuals to pursue and graduate with the recognized interpreting certification in the US.

Our clients do not need to have lengthy and tedious contractual agreements with us, just need to use the device when they need it as we operate as a SAAS model.

On the other hand, what also distinguish us is the training and employee development program that we use and operate in order to provide the best and the highest quality for our clients which is based on the linguist efficiency and capabilities on serving as an interpreter but not only as we also provide language courses in 25 languages for beginners that want to enter the world of language services.

Thus our goal as a company now has shifted from not only servicing the highest quality in an one stop shop for language services to our clients but also consulting and working on expanding technology advancement in different areas that need tech incorporation in our clients operations. Thus we provide custom made localization services for our clients that need to enter a new market, that need to change and reach a different and bigger target group and also need to expand and reach to a global market.

4. What are your plans to expand your company in Albania? What is your invitation to the prospect clients in Albania and in the region?

Albania is our focus for this year, as we see a great potential and humongous need for professional assistance in language service ,professional programs to help current business expand globally, technology advancement to facilitate several operation in different industries and more over an immediate need for opportunities for youth employment , training and facilitation to make them not only hire-able by local and foreign companies , but mostly to make them entrepreneurs and business makers. First, our goal is to reach our target clients and introduce them to great potentials they can reach locally and internationally by opening up new ideas and reaching their clients in many languages.

Also, current LSPs, we would like to introduce them to our technology that will facilitate their work and make them more efficient and profitable. Introducing the services to different industries such as tourism and hospitality, transportation, education, governmental, etc.

We want to give businesses a cutting-edge technology that will distinguish them in a larger global market.

5. What challenges do you find in your job?

It is hard to talk about challenges because it is like asking a mother pointing at her own child‘s poor behaviors ,which you know and face every day ,but still can‘t affect you because the love you have doesn‘t let you.

We love languages ,we love their uniqueness and how much of a differentiator factor are those not only in the business world but everywhere But everything has a price and working with a global team with hundreds of linguists all over the world makes the operation a challenge .It is a difficult task to integrate hundreds of contractors and coordinate them properly so that clients have24/7 services for their demand .

Another challenge that we are facing in a market like Albania ,is the openness of business owners ,CEOs and management to the tools that they can incorporate to make a huge impact into their business.

It is the dedication and perfectionism of details that distinguish companies thus what we provide is not only a necessity that companies/ governmental agencies need to address ,but it will set them apart and it will be their” finest jewelry” in what they do and provide to their clients.

6. What comes next for you and your company?

Our goal is to expand our services in Albania and the region and also our focus now is to provide the tools to our current clients to reach new market and expand globally more efficiently. Our dream is to make MADE IN ALBANIA a tech tag that will be known in the international markets. We are investing in creating a hub of technological advancement and working with programs that implement youth advancement as their goal.

Ani Xhani (co-founder) (L), Erisa Hysi (co-founder), Agron Xhani (Administrator/GM) on the 4th year of our office in Albania.